Ties
by GalliaDavia
Summary: Enterprises crew has returned home after another most dangerous mission. The crew members are using the time back to Spacedock and Earth in different ways to deal with their demons - and different ties. Suck at summaries - just read and review!
1. Chapter 1

„I don´t need an extended sick leave. I just need someone keeping these reporters off my back."

Admiral Forrest smiled.

"I never heard about heroes complaining all the time."

Jonathan Archer sighed, frowning.

"Look, Jonathan, repairs will take another while to get finished. Starfleet command has no further questions for now. You _need_ to rest. And you will!"

"Is that an order ?" Enterprise´s captain asked.

Admiral Forrest nodded. "It is.

***

"Well, it looks like you´re gonna get your way."

Archer bent his brows. „Sorry ?"

Dr. Saytez, a woman in her early fifties and leader of Starfleet´s medical center at San Francisco, closed the file in front of her.

"Admiral Forrest and I agreed on your transfer to a less…centrally located facility of ours."

Archer sat back, clearly disappointed.

"You didn´t think we were already up to send you back to duty", she said.

He sighed. "Honestly spoken – no."

She smiled to him. "But you didn´t give up hope, didn´t you."

He couldn´t other than return her smile. "No. I think I couldn´t." He remembered the advise Phlox had given to him when they had launched for their first journey, returning a the Klingon Klang to Kronos. "My doctor advised me once never to lose humanity´s charming optimism", he added.

She put her hands down on his file. "Your recovery is going well. And as I don´t want to keep you inside one of our facilities by force…"

"I think you told me you wouldn´t let me go that easily", he interrupted.

"We have some suggestions", the doctor answered. "The medical assistant who´s going to accompany will fill you in on the details."

She got up.

"Wait a second", Archer demanded, not moving. "You´re assigning a nurse to me ?"

She turned to him, still smiling. "Am I mistaken or do you suddenly sound much less eager to leave than when you got in ten minutes ago ?" she asked.

"With all due respect, Doc, I don´t need a babysitter!"

"Your injuries are healing well, but that doesn´t mean you´re already back on track, Captain!"

"Nevertheless, I…"

Ignoring his arguing, Doctor Saytez activated the com device on her desk. "Mister Garrick, please send in Dr. Craven."

***

Marlisa entered the room only a minute later. Archer got up from his chair, still stunned. Marlisa nodded to the older woman on the other side of the desk. Dr. Saytez returned the gesture.

"So, are you willing to listen to our suggestions ?" she addressed the captain.

This time, Archer only nodded.

***

"This is my favourite!"

Marlisa handed him another leaflet. "Barkley´s Lake. Several lodges, around this time of the year mainly frequented by anglers and climbers. We´ll be quite lonely out there. No reporters, no officials, no white coats. At least Porthos will like it!"

Archer sat back and eyed her up for a moment.

"I still can´t believe this!" he told her with a somehow helpless gesture.

She smiled to him.

"Is it that bad ?"

He cocked his head, throwing her a dark look.

"It´s nice to see you again, Lisa!"

"But you don´t like the circumstances." She touched his forearm in a sympathizing gesture. "I understand. Believe me, nobody´s more glad than to have you back in one piece and with your mission accomplished than me. But let other people do their work now - and don´t underestimate the toll the last weeks are taking."

Her hand rested still on his forearm. He covered with his own much larger one.

"How are you ?" he asked.

She smiled again. It didn´t seemed feigned.

"I am fine. I have been for quite a while by now."

"I am sorry that I haven´t taken more time for you back then."

"Don´t be a fool! You were just about to launch Earth´s first warp 5 ship! And you did more enough for me back then!" Her smile widened. "And I am planning on making amends for that now!"

***

No distinct humming.

Trip Tucker frowned.

Not even a soft glowing.

With a silent sigh, the engineer tried to focus again on that relay in front of him. He just disliked shutting down the warp reactor completely – necessary or not.

"What are you doing here ?"

He half turned. He hadn´t even noticed the opening and closing of the doors behind him.

"As far as I remember, I am still Enterprises´ chief engineer", he answered with a short smile.

"Your shift ended hours ago."

He didn´t comment on that and T´Pol drew closer to be able to see his face.

"Are you having trouble sleeping ?"

He glanced shortly at her, then returned his eyes to the display. "I haven´t found out about that yet", he answered. "I just feel somehow…jittery, I think."

"Maybe you should join me for a cup of tea", she proposed.

He glanced at the relay for another time, then at the display – then at her again. He didn´t care for tea and she knew that.

Still, he knew exactly how to interpret the offer.

***

"No, thanks."

Hoshi tried politely to turn away when she felt the man´s hand on her shoulder.

"I won´t let you get away that easily, really, Ensign!" The guy trying to come on to her grinned. "I always had a knack for girls who love adventures."

Hoshi sighed. He was obviously longing for a more resolute rebuff. After all the difficult and dangerous situations she had been through in the last few months and she had managed to handlesomehow – she still hated situations like this.

This time, she didn´t need to handle things alone.

"Didn´t you hear the lady ?"

Hoshi smiled, turning completely back to the guy and the second man who had just interfered. She would have recognized that British accent anywhere and anytime by now.

"Is this man harassing you, Ensign ?" Malcolm Reed inquired.

Hoshi glanced at the man who had just asked her for a drink – three times. The guy eyed up the Starfleet officer. People around knew the faces of Enterprise´s officers by now – and not only the ones of the senior officers.

Reed cocked his head. Prince Charming fortunately decided then to draw back. Hoshi followed the leaving man with her eyes.

"Thanks for the rescue", she then told Malcolm with a rather mischievous smile. "Seems you made a habit of it by now."

He returned the smile. "Seems so. Though I heard that you made quite an impression on Lieutenant Teggart at the training center some days ago, regarding your skills in self defense."

Hoshi blushed. Everybody seemed to know about that nice little episode by now. "I didn't mean to embarrass the Lieutenant. And I´d prefer not to talk about that!"

Reed shrugged. "People say you were just ´the better man`." He grinned. He had heard different versions of the linguist fighting one of Starfleet´s most famous loudmouths. Most of them might have been quite exaggerated ones, but he had no doubt that they had all been right regarding the outcome of things.

Hoshi shifted her weight uncomfortably. "He cornered me. I reacted instinctively."

"That´s how things are meant to work if somebody´s properly trained in self defense", Reed told her. "He´s the only one to blame. And it surely only added to your reputation."

"As the most dangerous translator Starfleet has to offer ?" she asked ironically. She looked around. The small restaurant became slowly a little more crowded.

"I didn´t expect to meet you here", she stated.

"You recommended the place several times, remember ?"

She smiled again. "I guess I did." She glanced around. "So are you expecting somebody ?"

She could tell that the frank question embarrassed the tactical officer immediately.

"Well, actually not", he answered hesitantly.

Hoshi nodded, unsure if to proceed. "I was up to meet a friend from Brazil who´s visiting Starfleet Academy for a semester, but she just sent a message that she´s tied up with business." Hoshi forced herself to face Malcolm. "I wondered if you´d like to join me for dinner ?"

By now used to his sometimes unnervingly prim behaviour, the linguist had a hard time suppressing a laugh. Malcolm had had dinner with her uncounted times at Enterprise´s mess hall. He had obviously not taken it as inappropriate there. Right here and now, back to Earth and actually off duty, he seemed more reluctant regarding that matter.

"I could use the company", she reassured him, silently hoping that he would agree. She had no intentions to spend the rest of the night alone here, fighting of another bunch of intrusive idiots. And she had to admit that she liked Malcolm´s unobtrusive way of conversation.

"Gladly", he finally told her, relaxing a little.

Hoshi turned away from him, addressing one of the waiters to show them to a table. She wondered sometimes if Malcolm was aware of how easily his body language was to read.


	2. Chapter 2

Jonathan Archer woke slowly. It took him some moments to recall where he was.

The sunlight falling through the bedroom´s windows was dazzling. The house lay silent. The only sound to be heard was the singing of some birds outside.

Then he realised that something wasn´t exactly right.

***

Breakfast was ready. At least, everything looked like it. The table was set. Still, there was no sign of Liza. Or Porthos.

He approached the table, picking one of the still warm bread rolls. Their delicious smell mixed with the scent of fresh coffee.

The door opened and Lisa and the beagle entered.

"Good morning!" she greeted him, watching with a smile while Porthos hurried over to his owner.

"What the hell did she offer you to lure you away from me ?" Archer asked the dog lowly. "Cheddar ?"

"No reason to get jealous", Lisa told him. "He wasn´t very eager to leave at all at first."

He looked up to her. She was wearing a casual sports dress. She had obviously been jogging.

"Still an early riser ?"

He glanced at a nearby clock. It was just about 7:30.

"I´ll just have a shower", she told him. "But you two don´t have to wait for me with breakfast!"

Archer eyed her up for another moment, then cocked his head.

"We´re gentlemen, you know – we´ll wait!"

"Alright!"

She headed for the bathroom.

"But Liz ?"

She turned to him, throwing him a questioning look.

"Hurry up!" he ordered with a smile.

She left for the bathroom, shaking her head in amusement.

***

Trip moved slowly. Carefully, trying not to wake the woman right next to him.

There he was, Charles Tucker III. Right next to the woman he loved.

He smiled.

An alien.

A Vulcan, of all species.

His eyes wandered to the one pointed ear visible in the twilight of her quarters.

A misery of a woman.

His smile widened.

A hell of a woman as well.

He was still not able to predict when she would allow herself to lower her emotional suppression far enough to make love to him. Bad enough that the volatile earthling in him would have been ready for that every goddamn night. Because of his lucky choice, he was often forced to wait just too long until she decided to grant themselves that intimacy again.

Still, he could call himself lucky, regarding that Vulcan mating cycles usually only happened every seven years. He sighed silently, shaking his head in his mind. What a horror.

He had come to enjoy these silent moments in the early morning. It sometimes surprised him himself.

She wouldn´t pretend to sleep. Still, she wouldn´t move either. For a member of a species so reluctant regarding any physical contact, lying right next to her, spending the rest of the night that way was a privilege and exception of its own. He was under the impression that she felt still unsure how to face him in these moments. Still, her body didn´t feel tense against his, though the experience was probably giving her as much trouble as it gave him sometimes.

He mused that the neuro pressure thing alone had been quite a challenge for her. He remembered that in the beginning, he had once even seen her hesitate when a crewman had slipped climbing down one of the ladders leading up to the warp reactor. She had still managed to help the crewman fast enough to get his balance back to prevent a fall. Still, all instincts had told her to avoid that physical contact in the first place.

She had come a long way since then.

He knew that she would most possibly never touch him or allow him to touch her that way with other people around. He didn´t care much about that, anyway. Still, he was much more used to get in touch with people. Shaking hands, padding backs and shoulders. Hugging somebody. Touching somebody for comfort.

For her, these things were normally out of question. It was simply not in the Vulcan culture

He recalled the day about two months ago when the small ship they had managed to steal to flee from Romulan space had crashed on the planet so luckily close to the Andorian space. The captain had been severely injured during the crash.

The memory sent a shiver down his spine and made his muscles tense for a second. They could all have died in that crash if it hadn´t been for Archer´s piloting skills. And again, he had almost gotten himself killed trying to rescue his crew. Trip had watched T`Pol and Hoshi trying to stabilize him. There hadn´t been even a split second of hesitance on her side. She and Hoshi had worked well together, fast, silently, while he had attended to Malcom´s broken leg.

Hoshi and T´Pol, the linguist and the science officer, the human and the Vulcan. Like fire and water. They hadn´t gotten along that well in the beginning, either. Though Hoshi was usually quite unsure regarding her own capabilities, Trip had never seen her fail to do the right thing in a dangerous situation. Her instincts had never betrayed her. After that trip to the drifting Klingon vessel she, T´Pol and Malcolm had finally managed to safe, T`Pol had worked with her, teaching her some kind of meditation to control her fear. Hoshi had achieved quite some self confidence since then.

T`Pol reached out for his hand. She had obviously felt him tense.

Trip understood the silent question perfectly. He squeezed her delicate fingers softly, letting her know that he was alright. He placed a soft kiss at the back of her neck, the gentle touch causing a shiver on her skin.

Tucker took a deep breath, carefully tightening his lose embrace. For a change, he was happy that he had somehow lost the ability to sleep for more than five hours at once.

It granted the two of them another silent hour before it was time to get up again.


End file.
